“Look at you using that big brain. The drugs seem to have worn off, so the blood can flow all the way to the top.”
I ignore her insult. “I don’t understand what this has to do with Rori, though. If he has all these kids, why doesn’t he just offer another one to the Belovs in her place? Why bring her back into it?” Silence. My mind whirls with questions, trying to figure it out. Then I stop and look back at her, finally realizing what she’s hinting at. “He doesn’t want her back, does he? He’s going to kill her as punishment for leaving, and then he’ll replace her with someone else.”
A slow clap. “Well done. And here I thought you were all brawn and no brains. Glad to see I’m not making a huge mistake in considering you for this role.”
I want to flip her off, but I don’t want to waste the energy. “Who are they going to replace her with? You said she has other sisters, so it has to be someone close enough in looks to her, right? Or someone they think is better?” I start to pace. “Or they could just replace her with one of her brothers who is old enough to be seen as a soldier. At least until this Simeon asshole takes charge. Or they’ll put him with Simeon to watch over him until he’s in power to make sure he’s doing whatever it is the Butcher is planning.”
“Yes, I think this plan is going to work nicely. I might just step up and convince her to keep you so you can have some smart babies,” Tatiana muses, drawing my attention. I narrow my eyes at her, unamused. “We don’t have a lot of time, so we need to get moving.”
“To where?”
She pulls something out of her pocket and hands it to me. “This is all you’ll need. Go to the address listed and hand the note to the man in charge.”
“You’re not coming for this little showdown? This sounds like something up your alley.”
She doesn’t answer that, unsettling me. Her eyes turn hard, her smile deadly. “I don’t think I need to remind you of what will happen if you tell anyone about this little meeting, or even hint at who I am. I will kill you, Cattaneo, and I won’t feel a shred of remorse. Then, I’ll do the same thing to every member of your family, the Carusos, Nico Armani, and Dante Esposito. The only ones who will be safe are the women and the infant who are related to me. That list does not include Aurora O’Brien, you’ll notice. Keep that in mind.”
If anyone can do it, I have a feeling it’s this woman. I still can’t figure out her relationship to Rori, or how Rori will be involved in all of this, other than as an unwilling bride. Whatever it is, it’s a problem for later.
“Just tell me where to find Rori.”
She lifts the gun again, firing it so quickly I don’t even have time to react. The dart in my neck stings like before, and I feel myself falling almost instantly.
No. No. I need to get to Rori. Damn her.
14
RORI
What the fuckis Alonzo doing here? How did he find me? My heart pounds, and I battle the urge to rush to him. Right behind the elation of seeing he’s alive, that he’s here, comes the anger and hurt. How could he be so stupid? I told him not to follow me. He put himself in danger; he put Hades in danger.
“Call off your wolf, now,” I order Oleg. He ignores me, looking at Ilya, his mouth opening to say something.
Fuck this. I’m not about to let this entire thing fall into chaos. I’m also running short on fucks to give about anything. I’m exhausted, pissed off, and knowing that I’m probably going to die in the next few days isn’t exactly helping.
Everyone is so focused on Alonzo, his men, and Hades, that they all seem to forget to watch me. In seconds, I’ve disarmed Ilya and Simeon, launched myself up onto Oleg’s back, pressed one gun to his temple, while pointing the other at the men behind me.
Zakhar blinks at me, shocked, while Ilya and Simeon freeze. Oleg turns rigid. Suddenly, the men around us don’t know whatthe fuck to do. Guns point at me, but some realize that they can’t leave Alonzo and his men uncovered either. The confusion is exactly what I need to get this fucking situation under control.
“Everyone put their fucking guns down, now!” I yell. “And you, call off your fucking wolf. If she hurts my dog, I’ll end you both right now.” No one says a word, and I drive the gun tighter against Oleg’s head, making him wince. I hold my gaze on Ilya and Simeon, who are both staring at me with mixtures of anger and irritation. “Do it!”
“Call her off, Oleg,” Ilya orders stiffly. Oleg barks out a command at the wolf, and while she stops growling and lies down, submitting, I can still feel her aggression.
“Hades, enough,” I snap. Hades instantly stops his own growling and snarling, his head snapping up to look at me instantly. “Sit!” His butt plunks to the floor instantly. “Set your wolf on my dog or me, and I’ll kill you,” I hiss into Oleg’s ear. I don’t care that I’m probably going to make enemies out of the men behind me, because I’m done with all this stupid bullshit.
I ease my gun from his temple, but I don’t stop pointing the other at Ilya or Simeon. I sense Zakhar moving, and quickly remove myself from Oleg’s back, pointing the gun up at his head. “Don’t even think about it.” He stills, and the crazy bastard grins wickedly at me, enjoying this.
Yeah, he’s exactly like Alessio. God help me.
I sense Oleg move, and I quickly counter, side-stepping before he can grab me, and bringing the gun down hard on his shoulder, sending him falling to the ground. Freya lets out a harsh growl, but Oleg barks a raspy command, settling her.
“Yeah, I want to keep her.” Zakhar beams, laughter in his voice. “Babes, that Italian fucker you were seeing, he’ll never be as good as me. I bet he never even made you come properly.”
I smirk. I can practically feel the fury rolling off Alonzo behind me. I don’t have time to stroke his ego, though.
“Darling, I don’t need a man to make me come,” I toss back, making him bark out a laugh. Glad someone finds this situation amusing. “Now, I have had a very long couple of days, and I have about reached the threshold where I start shooting and asking questions later. So, everyone is going to fucking calm down, and we are going to start with some talking. Then, once I’m satisfied with the answers, I’ll decide if I kill you all next for being fucking irritating, or if I let you live to piss me off some more. And whoever I don’t kill, I’ll send my dog after instead. Are we clear?”
The tension in the room is thick. There’s a low growl that I take to be from the wolf who is no longer looking at Hades, but is looking full at me, ready to take me down at the first order.
